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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: roll · field · stock · lie · temple · nail · toast · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. field — for sport
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. field — a subject
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. lie — to recline
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. roll — a cake
  13. field — farmland
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. spring — the season
  18. roll — a list
  19. stock — shares
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. spring — a coil
  24. toast — the most admired

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com